peo dwelling-houses, but fleep every night under porticos, piazzas, or any kind of fhelter they can find. Those of them who have wives and children, live in the fuburbs of Naples near Paufilippo, in huts, or in caverns or chambers dug out of that mountain. Some gain a livelihood by fishing, others by carrying burdens to and from the fhipping; many walk about the ftreets ready to run on errands, or to perform any labour in their power for a very fmall recompence. As they do not meet with conftant employment, their wages are not fufficient for their maintenance; the foup and bread diftributed at the door of the convents supply the deficiency. The lazzaroni are generally reprefented as a lazy, licentious, and turbulent fet of ple; what I have obferved gives me a very different idea of their character. Their idlenefs is evidently the effect of neceffity, not of choice; they are always ready to perform any work, however laborious, for a very reasonable gratification. It must proceed from the fault of government, when fuch a number of ftout active citizens remain unemployed; and fo far are they from being licentious and turbulent, that I cannot help thinking they are by much too tame and fubmiffive. Though the inhabitants of the Italian cities were the first who fhook off the feudal yoke, and though in Naples they have long enjoyed the privilege of municipal jurifdiction, yet the external fplendour of the nobles, and the authority they fill exercise over the peasants, impofe upon the minds of the lazzaroni; and however bold and refentful they may be of injuries offered by others, they bear the infolence of the nobility as paffively as peafants fixed to the foil. A coxcomb of a volanti tricked out in his fantastical drefs, or any of the liveried slaves of the great, make no ceremony of treating thefe poor fellows with all the infolence and infenfibility natural to their mafters; and for no visible reason, but because he is dreffed in lace, and the others in rags. Inftead of calling to them to make way, when the noife in the ftreets prevents the common people from hearing the approach of the carriage, a itroke across the fhoulders with the cane of the running footman, is the ufual warning they receive. Nothing animates this people to infurrection, but fome very preffing and very universal caufe; fuch as a fcarcity of bread: every other grievance they bear as if it were their charter. When we confider thirty thoufand human creatures without beds or habitations, wandering almoft naked in fearch of food through the streets of a well built city; when we think of the opportunities they have of being together, of comparing their own deftitute fituation with the affluence of others, one cannot help being aftonished at their patience. Let the prince be diftinguished by fplendour and magnificence; let the great and the rich have their luxuries; but, in the name of humanity, let the poor, who are willing to labour, have food in abundance to fatisfy the cravings of nature, and raiment to defend them from the inclemencies of the weather! If their governors, whether from weakness or neglect, do not fupply them with thefe, they certainly have have a right to help themfelves. Every law of equity and common fenfe will justify them, in revolting against fuch governors, and, in fatisfying their own wants from the fuperfluities of lazy luxury. the stanza by his voice, which he could modulate to the key of any paffion, from the boisterous bursts of rage, to the foft notes of pity or love. But, when he came to describe the exploits of Orlando, he trufted neither to the powers of his own voice, nor the poet's genius; Of the poetical Rehearsers and Im- but, throwing off his cloak, and A prouvifatori. SI fauntered along the Strada Nuova lately, I perceived a groupe of people liftening, with much attention, to a perfon who harangued them in a raised, solemn voice, and with great gefticulation. I immediately made one of the auditory, which increafed every moment; men, women, and children bringing feats from the neighbouring houses, on which they placed themfelves around the orator. He repeated ftanzas from Ariofto, in a pompous, recitativo cadence, peculiar to the natives of Italy; and he had a book in his hand, to affift his memory when it failed. He made occafional commentaries in profe, by way of bringing the poet's expreffion nearer to the level of his hearers' capacities. His cloak hung loofe from one fhoulder; his right arm was difengaged, for the purposes of oratory. Sometimes he waved it with a flow, fmooth motion, which accorded with the cadence of the verfes; fometimes he preffed it to his breaft, to give energy to the pathetic fentiments of the poet. Now he gathered the hanging folds of the right fide of his cloak, and held them gracefully up, in imitation of a Roman fenator; and anon he fwung them across his left fhoulder, like a ci tizen of Naples. He humoured grafping his cane, he affumed the warlike attitude and ftern countenance of that hero; reprefenting, by the most animated action, how he drove his fpear through the bodies of fix of his enemies at once; the point at the fame time killing a feventh, who would also have remained transfixed with his companions, if the fpear could Il Cavalier d'Anglante ove pui fpeffe This ftanza our declaimer had no Veggiam le rane de' canali e foffe Non altrimente nell' eftrema arena I must however do this audience the juftice to acknowledge, that they feemed to feel the pathetic and fublime, as well as the ludicrous, parts of the ancient bard. This practice of rehearfing the verfes of Ariofto, Taffo, and other poets, in the ftreet, I have not obferved in any other town of Italy; and I am told it is lefs common here than it was formerly. I remember indeed, at Venice, to have frequently feen mountebanks, who gained their livelihood by amufing the populace at St. Mark's Place, with wonderful and romantic ftories in profe." Liften, "gentlemen," faid one of them, "let me crave your attention, ye beautiful and virtuous ladies; I "have fomething equally affecting "and wonderful to tell you; a "ftrange and ftupendous adventure, which happened to a gal"lant knight."-Perceiving that this did not fufficiently intereft the hearers, he exalted his voice, calling out that his knight was uno Cavalliero Cristiano. The audience feemed ftill a little fluctuating. He raised his voice a note higher, telling them that this chriftian knight was one of their own victorious countrymen, "un' "Eroe Veneziano." This fixed them; and he proceeded to relate how the knight, going to join the chriftian army, which was on its march to recover the fepulchre of Chrift from the hands of the in fidels, loft his way in a vast wood, and wandered at length to a caftle, in which a lady of tranfcendent beauty was kept prifoner by a gigantic Saracen, who, having failed in all his endeavours to gain the heart of this peerlefs damfel, refolved to gratify his paffion by force; and had actually begun the horrid attempt, when the fhrieks of this chafte maiden reached the ears of the Venetian hero; who, ever ready to relieve virgins in diftress, rushed into the apartment from whence the ories iffued. The brutal ravifler, alarmed at the noife, quits the ftruggling lady, at the very inftant when her ftrength began to fail; draws his flaming fword; and a dreadful combat begins between him and the chriftian knight, who performs miracles of courage and addrefs in refifting the blows of this mighty giant; till, his foot unfor tunately flipping in the blood which flowed on the pavement, he fell at the feet of the Saracen ; who, immediately feizing the advantage which chance gave him, raised his fword with all his might, and- -Here the orator's hat flew to the ground, open to receive the contributions of the lifteners; and he continued repeating, " raised "his fword over the head of the "chriftian knight"-" raifed his "bloody, murderous brand, to "destroy your noble, valiant coun tryman.' ."-But he proceeded no farther in his narrative, till all who feemed interested in it had thrown fomething into the hat. He then pocketed the money with great gravity, and went on to inform them, that, at this critical moment, the Lady, feeing the danger which threatened her deliverer, redoubled her prayers to the Bleffed Mary, who, a virgin herfelf, is peculiarly attentive and propitious to the prayers of virgins. Juft as the Saracen's fword was defcending on the head of the Venetian, a large bee flew, quick as thought, in at the window, ftung the the former very fmartly on the left temple, diverted the blow, and gave the chriftian knight time to recover himself. The fight then recommenced with fresh fury; but, after the Virgin Mary had taken fuch a decided part, you may believe it was no match. The infidel foon fell dead at the feet of the believer. But who do you think this beauteous maiden was, on whofe account the combat had begun? Why no other than the fifter of the Venetian hero.-This young lady had been ftolen from her father's houfe, while fhe was yet a child, by an Armenian merchant, who dealt in no other goods than women. He concealed the child till he found means to carry her to Egypt; where he kept her in bondage, with other young girls, till the age of fifteen, and then fold her to the Saracen. I do not exactly remember whether the recognition between the brother and fifter was made out by means of a mole on the young lady's neck, or by a bracelet on her arm, which, with fome other of her mother's jewels, happened to be in her pocket when he was ftolen; but, in whatever manner this came about, there was the greatest joy on the happy occafion; and the lady joined the army with her brother, and one of the chriftian commanders fell in love with her, and their nuptials were folemnized at Jerufalem; and they returned to Venice, and had a very numerous family of the finest children you ever beheld. At Rome, thofe ftreet-orators fometimes entertain their audience with interefting paffages of real history. I remember having heard one, in particular, give a full and true account how the bloody heathen emperor Nero fet fire to the city of Rome, and fat at a window of his golden palace, playing on a harp, while the town was in flames. After which the historian proceeded to relate, how this unnatural emperor murdered his own mother; and he concluded by giving the audience the fatisfaction of hearing a particular detail of all the ignominious circumftances attending the murderer's own death. This bufinefs of ftreet-oratory, while it amufes the populace, and keeps them from lefs innocent an more expenfive paftimes, gives them at the fame time fome general ideas of history. Street-orators, therefore, are a more useful fet of men than another class, of which there are numbers at Rome, who entertain companies with extemporaneous verfes on any given subject. The laft are called Improuvifatoris; and fome people admire these performances greatly. For my own part, I am too poor a judge of the Italian language either to admire or condemn them; but, from the nature of the thing, I fhould imagine they are but indifferent. It is faid, that the Italian is peculiarly calculated for poetry, and that verfes may be made with more facility in this than in any other language. It may be more easy to find fmooth lines, and make them terminate in rhime in Italian, than in any language; but to compofe verfes with all the qualities effential to good poetry, I imagine leifure and long reflection are requifite. Indeed I understand, from those who are judges, that thofe extempore compoutions of the Improu. vifatori are in general but mean productions, confifting of a few C 4 fulfome fulfome compliments to the company, and fome common-place obfervations, put into rhime, on the fubject propofed. There is, however, a lady of an amiable character, Signora Corilla, whofe extempore productions, which the repeats in the moft graceful manner, are admired by people of real tate. While we were at Rome, this lady made an appearance one evening, at the affembly of the Arcadi, which charmed a very numerous company; and of which our friend Mr. R-y has given me fuch an account, as makes me regret that I was not prefent. After much entreaty, a fubject being given, fhe began, accompanied by two violins, and fung her unpremeditated strains with great variety of thought and elegance of language. The whole of her performance lafted above an hour, with three or four paufes, of about five minutes each, which feemed neceffary, more that she might recover her ftrength and voice, than for recollection; for that gentleman faid, that nothing could have more the air of infpiration, or what we are told of the Pythian Prophetefs. At her first fetting out, her manner was fedate, or rather cold; but gradually becoming animated, her voice rofe, her eyes fparkled, and the rapidity and beauty of her expreffions and ideas feemed fupernatural. She at laft called on another member of the fociety to fing alternately with her, which he complied with; but Mr. R-y thought, though they were Arcades ambo, they were by no means cantare pares. Naples is celebrated for the finest opera in Europe. This however happens not to be the season of performing; but the common people enjoy their operas at all feafons, Little concerts of vocal and inftrumental mufic are heard every evening in the Strada Nuova, the Chiaca, the Strada di Toledo, and other ftreets; and young men and women are seen dancing to the mufic of ambulatory performers all along this delightful bay. To å mere spectator, the amusements of the common people afford more delight, than thofe of the great; because they seem to be more enjoyed by the one clafs, than by the other. This is the cafe every where, except in France; where the high appear as happy as those of middle rank, and the rich are very near as merry as the poor, But, in most other countries, the people of great rank and fortune, though they flock to every kind of entertainment, from not knowing what to do with themselves, yet feem to enjoy them lefs than those of inferior rank and fortune, I know not what may be the cafe at the opera; but I can affure you there are none of those bursts among the auditories which the streetperformers at Naples gather around them. I faw very lately a large clufter of men, women, and children, entertained to the highest degree, and to all appearance made exceedingly happy, by a poor fellow with a mark on his face, and a guitar in his hands. He affembled his audience by the fongs he fung to the mufic of his inftrument, and by a thoufand merry ftories he told them with infinite drollery. This affembly was in an open place, facing the bay, and near the palace. The old women fat liftening, with their distaffs, spinning a kind of coarfe |